Subscribe to #LEAD #Events

LEAD Trust, in order to achieve its aims and objectives regularly organises different events, like Kisan Goshthi,  Seminars, workshops and lectures etc. Such events are widely publicised in the press as well as through social media. Attending some of such events is free of cost (like the Kisan Goshthi)  while for some others, those who desire to attend pay a small contribution as a subscription to the event (mainly the seminars, workshops and lectures).  You can know about the upcoming event(s) by clicking on this link.

We request you to kindly subscribe to our events. They are worth it. You can check it for yourself by visiting to the page on Proceedings of the National #Seminar on #Growth with Justice. And, the amount of subscription is not more than what many of us easily spend on an evening outing in the city or a fun mall or water park.

You can also help us in our mission by sharing the news about our events with as many of you friends as you can. You can do it without incurring any cost on the social media. Please help us.

Take me to the LEAD Events page.

Write with us a #LEAD #Book, become a #LEAD #Author and get recognised internationally.

Your first book is just throbbing within you, like a baby in its mother's womb! Isn't it?

Submit sample

You express yourself beautifully through your words. Your friends and the people who know you always urge you to write, write a book. 

You have observed the society keenly. You have noticed conflicts and cooperation minutely; in a way and from an angle, no  ordinary person would ever have. You have some new explanation to a phenomenon because of your particular "out of the tunnel vision" which the world should know.  

Or may be you are a passionate photographer and you have a collection of exquisite shots which you like to publish in the form of a book of photographs.

Or you just came back from your vacation in the hills or on the sea and want to share your memories with the world. 

And, of course you have your story to share with the world or have written great poems. 

Or, may be you are a student or a scholar who needs to be published in order to be recognised in your particular subject. 

Oh you have conceived your first book!!

You experienced this! Didn't you?

You approach a well known book publisher. 

They ask you about your earlier experience as a book author and the moment they know that you want them to publish your début book, they become pricey. And you keep on running from one publisher to the other till you get exhausted and just strangulate the author within you. 

If you are a die hard stubborn type, you decide to publish your own book. You get it printed in your own locality and spend say 1,50,000 INR or more on the process, take the load of a thousand printed copies to your home. 

But the book you have printed perhaps lacks an ISBN number. 

Then you take out 5 or 6 copies and start visiting your friends' places informing each of them one by one that now you have become an author. You take out one copy, autograph it beautifully and gift it to your friend, who out of courtesy leafs through for a few minutes and if you watch the eye movements of the fellow closely you instantly know that nothing is being read! 

You leave for the house of another friend. 

Back at the first stop the spouse of your friend enters the room, picks up the book looks at the title and your name, laughs and tells your friend: 

"So the crazy chum of yours has become an author."

"Poor soul! Could never find a good work to do!"

If you have very good relations with the media people, you go forth, get a decent book release ceremony organised and spend another 50 k bucks on it to get the news published in the local newspapers that you have become an author. Collect all the newspapers the next morning, painstakingly take out the cuttings, paste them on drawing paper and make an album out of them, get them scanned and post them on the social media. 

Whoosh ... There it ends ...

But we can publish your book without any hassle:

Instead, you can write with us and become a LEAD Author. You will have to make no expense except whatever you make on getting your book typed in MS Word and sending it to us. You simply send us the said file if it matches our standards we will get it published for you with an ISBN number duly assigned. Your book will be internationally distributed through Amazon.com and their associates in paper back form as well as in digital form in their Kindle edition. It will be catalogued with many book depositories the world over, thus maximising the chance of being spotted by the right people interested in your subject, and any one who is really interested in the subject will be able to read it in paperback format or kindle format. 

And who knows, if a film producer or someone like that approaches you from the Hollywood or Bollywood or a TV serial producer contacts you for your story, or a professor in your subject from some very high ranking university, or the editor of a magazine or journal approaches you on reading your book.

See the LEAD Books already in print:

If you want to see the books we have already published kindly visit the  LEAD Books page. If you wish to see the quality of printing you can order a copy from Amazon or their associates page, which you can reach by clicking the appropriate country link provided their. For example if you want to purchase "Tightening Noose of Poverty" by Masood Rezvi in India in paper back format, please click here. Similarly, if you want to read "Tightening Noose of Poverty - Abridged" in Kindle format please click here.

What you will get?

1. The pride and honour of being the author of an ISBN numbered book, in the subject of your choice
2. International hassle free distribution of your book, around the globe.
3. Your book will be available to readers both in paperback and digital format
4. Inclusion in international catalogues thus maximising the chance of being discovered by an interested reader the world over.
5. No expense to make except on typing, if you do not do it yourself, and sending the file to us.
6. Our expert advice on language grammar and formatting etc, as a courtesy whenever and wherever necessary and feasible.
7. Mention of your book in our blogs, reports and during our events etc. 
8. Possibility of arranging a book release ceremony at your expense if you so wish.
9. Best thing; even if after publishing you want to make a change or amendment, you can! Yes it is possible without spoiling any unsold stock unlike in case of traditional printing. But we will normally charge a  fee for each such change you make. 

 Copyright:

The copyright of your script will remain yours. However, you shall not use the ISBN number which we procure for your book neither you shall use the cover or its image if we get it produced for you.

Royalty:

As you know we are a not for profit organisation. We give our managerial and technical services to you free of cost and we have to raise funds for further do-gooding, that we intend to do as per our vision, mission and objectives. We thus expect you to forego the royalty in favour of the Trust and assure you that every paisa, penny or cent of it will be used only  for charity. Once your book becomes popular, perhaps many of the traditional main stream publishers will approach you for printing it. Then you can make money with them, as the copyright remains yours. 

With us you will earn the pleasure of good doing along with a great recognition, name and fame but NO money. 

Your copy:

You purchase it.

Your liability:

It will be your responsibility to ensure that the copyright of the work including all its components, for example tables, illustrations, pictures, images, etc is yours and though we will scrutinise the work to conform to our standards and will be free to reject it without assigning any cause, it will remain solely your responsibility to ensure that the matter is not offensive, obscene, libellous, or objectionable in any way as per the laws of any country where it is sold,   and you will have to indemnify, us, our trustees, employees, agents and associates against any peril that may arise due to the publication of your book by us.

You also authorise us to fix the price of the book and change it as and when needed absolutely as per our own judgement and discretion.

Got it. What to do to become a LEAD Author?

Share a portion of your great work (2000 to 5000 words) in a MS Word file  along with other details with the LEAD Editorial Team through the form that will open up for you on clicking this link. Please ensure to provide your correct email address in the form as also at the end of the word file. We will contact you any time within a month of your submission. 

If you have any query please feel free to contact us.

Buy #LEAD #Books Support Our Cause

 LEAD Books:

You visited the  LEAD Website, the LEAD Blog, the LEAD Channel, saw the LEAD Slides, learnt about the LEAD Events, and read the LEAD News published by the media. You are convinced about our mission. You like it. You want to be a part of it.You want to support us.  How can you do it?

The easiest and perhaps the most effective way of supporting any mission is to read the books published by it and share them with friends. We therefore  invite you to buy LEAD Books and gift them to your friends and loved ones.

But aren't they costly?

No they aren't because:

1. They constitute serious literature and carry the heart and soul of the author in as simple a language as possible. And we are sure the reading will bring before you facts and realities, you perhaps were not at all aware of till now.
2. They aren't meant for the fun lovers, who will rather buy any hot fiction book just for merry making but are not interested in or may be are afraid of the hard realities of our life and the world we are living in. They will never buy these books. So who will buy if even you will not?
3. These books are printed and manufactured at highest international standards of paper and manufacturing quality.
4. They are exclusively distributed through Amazon and their associates world wide, are easily available at your doorstep and are covered by the Amazon terms and guarantees as and where applicable which you can check at their page at the time of putting your order.
5. They are also available in very cost effective digital or Kindle format. You can save money by reading them in Kindle format. Any help even smallest in terms of money will be a great booster for us.
6. The royalty earned will be spent exclusively for charity, and thus you will be contributing your share of money for a good cause.

We thus urge you to kindly visit the page LEAD Books and select your book to purchase.

Go to Toilet Eliminate #OpenAirDefecation See what the #UNICEF says.

"Around 595 million people, which is nearly half the population of India, defecate in the open. India accounts for 90 per cent of the people in South Asia and 59 per cent of the 1.1 billion people in the world who practise open defecation. 

Open defecation poses a serious threat to the health of children in India. The practice is the main reason India reports the highest number of diarrhoeal deaths among children under-five in the world.  Every year, diarrhoea kills 188,000 children under five in India. Children weakened by frequent diarrhoea episodes are more vulnerable to malnutrition, stunting, and opportunistic infections such as pneumonia.

About 43 per cent of children in India suffer from some degree of malnutrition. Diarrhoea and worm infection are two major health conditions that affect school-age children impacting their learning abilities. Open defecation also puts at risk the dignity of women in India. Women feel constrained to relieve themselves only under the cover of dark for reasons of privacy to protect their dignity.

Open defecation exposes women to the danger of physical attacks and encounters such as snake bites.  Poor sanitation also cripples national development: workers produce less, live shorter lives, save and invest less, and are less able to send their children to school." - Says the UNICEF site.

All of us are a personal witness to this ugly scene, even if we have never been to a rural area, we have seen this while travelling by a train. We have become so used to this unhealthy and extremely dangerous practice, or so apathetic to the large number of our compatriots indulging into it and the hazards thus faced by them that we do not feel it necessary to talk about the issue.

LEAD Trust has decided to launch an awareness campaign against the unhealthy practice.

We will keep you informed through the LEAD Events page, which you may kindly keep checking. If you support us in our initiative kindly help us in spreading the word by sharing, +1ing,  tweeting, emailing, blogging, pintresting (just hit the buttons below the text) and discussing about this page. If you have some idea to share or wish to volunteer or sponsor the activity you are welcome to contact us.

Farmers' Legal Rights (#Farmers'LegalRights)

We live in a democracy - a rule of people, for the people, by the people. We are the ultimate sovereign, using our one vote each to select the people who make laws for us, and those who administer these laws. As a natural corollary the laws that we have guarantee, or should guarantee, equality for all of us.

Equals that we all may be in the use of our one vote, we are not equal in many other advantages and disadvantages. Information and awareness about our rights and duties is one such aspect in which we are not equals. This inequality is one of the main sources of many other inequalities, including - but not limited to - the inequality in the access of our recourse to justice. 

Our farming community, the giver of bread and butter to all others, is one such unfortunate lot. Despite sincere efforts by government after government since independence, the chasm between the urban and the rural India is perhaps increasing. Prof B. N. Singh elaborated the issue in details in his paper presented at the National Seminar on Growth with Justice.

In order to contribute our humble effort in mitigating the situation somewhat, we have decided to hold Farmer's Legal Rights events. We will keep you informed through the LEAD Events page, which you may kindly keep checking. If you support us in our initiative kindly help us in spreading the word by sharing, +1ing,  tweeting, emailing, blogging, pintresting (just hit the buttons below the text) and discussing about this page. If you have some idea to share or wish to volunteer or sponsor the activity you are welcome to contact us.

Save #Artisans of #Lucknow (#SaveArtisansOfLucknow)

According to Wikipedia, Zardozi or Zar-douzi (Persian and Urdu: زَردوزی, Hindi: ज़रदोज़ी) work is a type of embroidery in Iran, India and Pakistan and Zardozi is a Persian word that means Sewing with gold string. It is claimed that Zardozi embroidery has been in existence in India from the time of the Rig Veda. An Iranian website aftabir.com claims that around 105 BC the Chinese emperor sent Zardozi embroidered pieces of cloth to the Iranian emperor with his emissaries. The word 'Zardozi' is made up of two Persian terms, Zar meaning gold and Dozi meaning embroidery. The Persian embroidery form, Zardozi attained its summit in the 17th century, under the patronage of Mughal Emperor Akbar. Under the rule of Aurangzeb, it is said, the royal patronage stopped and this led to the decline of the craft. Since the cost was high and raw materials quite rare, craftsmen could not carry on with the embroidery on their own.

Many craftsmen left Delhi and went to the courts of Rajasthan and Punjab in search of work. With the 18th and 19th century bringing industrialization, the craft suffered another setback. It was only after receiving independence in the year 1947 that the Indian government undertook steps to promote Zari embroidery. Lucknow, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Delhi, Agra, Kashmir, Mumbai, Ajmer and Chennai are the main centres of Zardozi work in India.

As reported by jagranjosh.com, Business India, Wikipedia etc Lucknow Zardozi became a full fledged brand after being accorded with the Geographical Indication (GI) registration by Chennai- based GI Registry. GI is basically a sign or name which is used on certain products which relate specifically to a geographical location or the origin, which can be a town, region or the country.

Zardozi is not merely a needlecraft but a vestige of an opulent bygone era. An embroidered extravaganza in gold and silver threads embellished with precious stones and crystals patterned on velvet, chiffon, crepe, silk, evoking the nostalgia of an exotic past. During the last three decades, some claim that one has witnessed a resurgence in the production of Zardozi embroidered clothes after their induction as ethnic couture in the bridal wear, fashion and glamour industry of India and abroad. This has created, they say, a huge local demand and an export boom to the Middle East and Europe.

The plight of the artisan however remains the same rather worsened. As per our own estimates an average Zardozi Sari, may go to the ultimate customer for something like INR 75 k to 80 K, in the local showrooms. But the money does not percolate to the actual artisan. Same is true for the Chikan workers also. For an intricately embroidered floral design as per an estimate they get INR 3 or INR 2 only. Why?

No preconceived judgemental reply will be fare. And no effort to mitigate their situation will be fruitful in absence of a systematic and methodical scientific study of the situation.

We intend to spearhead such a study and invite all those - especially people trained in research methodology in sociological, economic, and market research - who are interested in joining hands with us on a voluntary basis to contact us. Their efforts and contributions will get due recognition (but no monetary reward).

Ban #HighlyHazardousPesticides (#HHPs) as per #FAO of the #UNO Recommendations. Stop this #CrimeAgainstHumanity

Visit the website of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Did you find about the dangers of the use of Highly Hazardous Pesticides the #HHP?

Now search the phrase "Ban Hazardous Pesticides" on Google.  Perhaps, you will be convinced that not enough efforts are being made in our own country to save us and our children from this slow poisoning. We seem to be sleeping over the issue. Only the west is talking. If this state of affairs continues, soon the MNCs losing market in the west will try to make up for their lost sales from developing countries. It is time that we wake up and appeal our government to effectively ban these pesticides in India too. A list of some of such pesticides is available in the paper presented by Prof B. N. Singh during the National Seminar on Growth with Justice and can also be found in his slides available at LEAD Slides. You can also listen to his talk at LEAD Channel (and read in greater details in his paper published in the compendium). For a quick reference we are including the relevant slide here:

Please support us in our campaign, by speaking about the issue, writing about the issue and spreading awareness in this regard as much as you can against this Crime Against Humanity.